Sometimes all it takes to get someone interested in aviation is a few Popsicles. That’s exactly what happened to 7 year old John Snyder. While eating breakfast in a local restaurant his Grandma’s friend gave him a homemade Popsicle stick airplane. “Ever since then, I have been looking up at the sky to try and catch a glimpse of airplanes.”

Growing up, John had unique exposure to the K-State program. Being raised in Salina allowed him to visit the K-State aviation program on multiple occasions. One visit was particularly influential during a Starbaseprogram, which introduced young, local students to aviation. So when the time came, the K-State program was a natural choice to pursue his dream of flight.

Now a junior in the Professional Pilot program, John is busy flying, keeping up with the demanding CFI ground school class, and is a tutor for college students in the Writing Center. John hopes to integrate his knowledge of writing and aviation in the future.

His favorite part of flying: “Looking down at all the busy streets and thinking to myself, ‘I’m glad stoplights aren’t in the sky.’ In the sky, I am free. There is nothing like the freedom to burn holes in the sky.”